BILL ANALYSIS

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

This bill seeks to address some unintended consequences from S.B. 1267, which passed during the 87th Legislative Session. A central goal of S.B. 1267 was to streamline the mandatory training requirements for educators that have accumulated over the years, with the goal of right-sizing the number of training requirements in an effort to restore time and more authority to educators to self-select professional development. In doing so, S.B. 1267 reinstated a cap on the percentage of mandatory continuing professional education (CPE) topics that classroom teachers, principals, and counselors are required to obtain in order to renew their certificates.

However, the unintended consequence is that classroom teachers are being denied the ability to count more than 25 percent of CPE hours in certain topics toward the total number of hours required for CPE for purposes of certificate renewal.

Additionally, a number of counselors viewed the cap as unnecessary given that they viewed the required CPE topics for counselors to be central to their primary role as school counselors; counselors wish to lift the 25 percent cap on the list of required CPE topics for counselors.

H.B. 2929 adds Subsection (d-2) to Section 21.054, providing that "training in a topic of instruction described by Subsection (d) attended by a classroom teacher in excess of an amount of hours equal to 25 percent of the training required of the teacher every five years shall be counted toward the teacher's overall training requirements."

This change will ensure that classroom teachers who choose to do so may count more than 25 percent of the hours of professional learning they receive in the mandatory CPE topics toward their total CPE hours if they so desire.

H.B. 2929 amends Section 21.054(f) to provide that "at least" 25 percent of the total number of CPE hours required for counselors must include certain listed topics (those listed in current law). This removes the limit on how many hours in the required topics can count toward counselors' overall training requirements.

H.B. 2929 amends current law relating to continuing education and training requirements for classroom teachers and public school counselors.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Reenacts Section 21.054(d), Education Code, as amended by Chapters 1045 (S.B. 1267) and 973 (S.B. 2066), Acts of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, and amends it, as follows:

(d) Prohibits continuing education requirements for a classroom teacher, subject to Subsection (d-2),� from requiring that more than 25 percent of the training required every five years include instruction regarding certain information. Deletes existing text requiring that continuing education requirements for� classroom teacher provide that not more than 25 percent of the training required every five years include instruction regarding certain information.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 21.054, Education Code, by adding Subsection (d-2) and amending Subsection (f), as follows:

(d-2) Requires that training in a topic of instruction described by Subsection (d) attended by a classroom teacher in excess of an amount of hours equal to 25 percent of the training required of the teacher every five years be counted toward the teacher's overall training requirements.

(f) Requires that continuing education requirements for a counselor provide that at least 25 percent of training, rather than not more than 25 percent of training, of training required every five years include instruction regarding certain information.

SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2023�2024 school year.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2023.